


Schemes, Legacies, and Marriage Arrangements

by elrond50



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Corporate, M/M, Modern Gilded Age
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-03
Updated: 2018-02-12
Packaged: 2018-04-07 13:20:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4264722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elrond50/pseuds/elrond50
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One day changed Derek's life. Summoned home from vacation, he is informed that he must get married by his next birthday, must take up his duty for his family, and deal with his power hungry uncle who happens to be running for the White House. </p><p>It's the price he has to be pay for being a Hale.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Flying used to be fun for Derek, but that was when he was heading someplace exciting. No, this was a summons to appear before the throne. Corporate aristocrats replaced crowned monarchs, but the result was the same; someone held most of the power and right now his mother wanted to see him.

This was supposed to be his yearlong sabbatical. His twenty-fourth birthday was a mere three weeks ago and he was only two months into his tour through Europe. Stanford was complete, Harvard also done; all the check marks required to enter ‘adulthood’ but even the limited freedom he wanted was cut short.

Just to spite his mother he flew coach from London to New York and did so again to get to San Francisco. She could wait a day or two since his plan to spend time in Istanbul was ruined. Passing by some windows on the way to get his luggage he caught his reflection. His beard was bushy, his hair long, and his clothes ratty. Nothing about his appearance would please his mother.

“You’re going to Pacific Heights looking like that?”

Derek glanced over and smiled for the first time. “Jordan!” More than once he regretted that he was born an alpha. Jordan was a beta and a mating bite would not hold. Pity also because he wasn’t interested in omegas; it was strong alphas or powerful betas that really got him going. “Did mother send you to get me?”

The handsome man nodded. “Yes, she’s well aware how petulant you can be. Mrs. Hale was afraid you’d walk to the house in order to delay this meeting. Though the way you look, she may send you to Julian’s before speaking to you.”

The body guard and confidant looked at Derek and shook his head. “You’ve both put on muscle and lost weight. None of your suits will fit you. Looking more alpha than I remember; it’s a good look on you.” He pulled Derek into a quick hug. “Come on before she sends a search party for the both of us.”

The drive into San Francisco felt like he was going to his execution. The world revolved around the new aristocracy and it was even worse for high born alphas. He rolled his eyes thinking about his family. He was a fifth generation Hale of Hale International, one of the mega-conglomerates that dotted the world. The fourth generation currently held power and the center of that power was his mother, Talia Hale, chairwoman of the Hale Trust, holders of sixty percent of the voting stock of Hale International. The pretension level of all of it made his skin crawl. He missed being as anonymous as an alpha could be riding the rails in Europe.

“Your scowl isn’t very becoming,” teased Jordan. He knew he could get away with it. “In case you missed it, your uncle is preparing for a run for the White House.”

That made things even worse. Peter Hale, Republican Senator from Florida, was a beta who fancied himself an alpha. If ever there was a political office bought and paid for that was one for sure. Peter barely met the residency requirements before he spent millions getting into the Senate. Now it appeared he was setting his site on something bigger.

That changed the dynamics of his summons slightly. His mother never really trusted her youngest brother. He was no alpha and therefore had no say in how the family directed their billions. Over a century and a half of wealth building had left the family richer than the dreams of avarice. Something was up and that meant he was back in the States months ahead of time.

Their city home was nice, but it wasn’t the family estate up in northern California. He loved Beacon Hills, but it was also two hours north of the city and where his sister lived. Yet another beta with dreams of alpha-hood. But he loved her, his uncle he tolerated.

“We’re here. I hope you’re prepared for a tongue lashing. That outfit…”

Derek ignored Jordan as he got out and pulled his backpack onto his shoulder. He’d been traveling for most of a full day now. Declining the family jet might not have been the wisest course of action. Nothing for it, he opened the front door and walked into the lion’s den.

“Why am I not surprised?”

Derek turned and gave him mother a smile. “Maybe because I was actually having fun for once.”

Talia Hale was an imposing figure. Alpha and matriarch of the Hale Family, she was a woman few crossed. The few that dared were related to her. “Really, Derek? How many times have I told you that when you are in public that you must conduct yourself in a way that reflects on the family properly.”

Deciding not to rise to the bait, he smiled again. “You rang?” His dismissing of her commentary so casually would move her off her preplanned objective, at least he hoped it would.

She moved towards her office and motioned for him to follow. “Despite what you might think, I recalled you because you are needed.” She sat down and pointed at the chair opposite her desk. “There are two things; one, you will go to New York and sit in on the Board Meeting tomorrow. You will take my proxies. Two, by the time you are twenty-five you will be married with a proper mating bite.”

Derek’s mouth dropped open. “What?”

“You are an alpha and it is a stipulation of the Trust. Now you can forgo the marriage and live off your personal trust fund. However, doing so will render you ineligible for the family alpha council and any decisions it will make for the future. Also you won’t get the ten million shares of Hale International you would receive on your birthday.” She smiled wickedly. Hale International’s market cap was well over half a trillion dollars.

“You are of age and have two advanced degrees, I’ve read the agenda for the meeting tomorrow and think you would be perfect to represent the family.” She leaned back in her chair. “While we can control the Board with our voting strength it is best we try to persuade members instead. Derek, many of them favor the course of action your uncle has laid out. My voice is no longer heard.”

He sat back and frowned. His uncle was a menace. And this wasn’t about him. Derek stopped being defensive. “What do you need me to do?”

“Take a shower, shave, get a haircut at Julian’s, and get ready to fly back to New York on the private jet in a few hours. You’ll need some proper clothes. You’re looking very fit. I’m sure many omegas will be…impressed.”

Derek groaned. “I’ll go to New York and deal with that, but we are going to talk about this marriage thing! Why wasn’t I told?”

Talia brushed that off with a dismissive hand wave. “I’ve submitted the form already stating that you are sitting in for me. They will discount you as young, immature, and inexperienced. Read the agenda on your flight. You’ll have access to all the information you desire.” Talia smiled fondly. “You have passion, Derek. It’s time to channel that. Above all, do what you think is right. Oh, your father’s best friend is the senior fund manager at Vanguard. I’ll arrange for you to have dinner with him tomorrow night.”

He got up knowing a dismissal when he heard one. “I assume Julian’s is on standby?”

“And two tailors. Jordan texted and said you’d need new clothes.” She stood up and gave her son a hug. “Cora is dating that wretched actor again. Your father said it would be best to stay out of it. Perhaps you should call her when you get a minute; she listens to you. Off with you.”

In no time, Derek was in Julian’s private salon where there was normally a waiting list weeks long for an appointment. Sitting there waiting was Isaac, his cousin’s omega mate. “What are you doing here?”

The tall curly blond omega smiled brightly. “Auntie called and said you had a _dreadful_ case of bad _everything_.” Isaac’s eyes narrowed, “She underestimated it. How someone who looks as good as you manages to be such a schlub. Why does she put up with you?”

Derek rolled his eyes and glared at a laughing Jordan. “No really, Isaac, what are you doing here? Marshall lives in LA.”

“His quest to be Hollywood elite has brought us back. He’s filming what he hopes will be his Oscar winner. It’s drivel, but Marshall _loves_ to make his movies.” Isaac glared. “Don’t change the subject. Auntie insisted I make sure you’re presentable again. I can smell the pedestrian coming off you in waves. It’s disgusting! Strip!”

Three waiting attendants attacked at the order and Derek found himself being moved around from one place to another. He felt like a doll the way he was being handled.

Isaac moved closer and rolled his eyes. “You alphas and your over-large packages. I thought Marshall was bigger than normal, you Hales are blessed, or cursed.” Isaac fanned himself. “Clean that up too. He needs to be ready in case he meets the right omega.” He laughed at Derek’s glare. “Sweetie, I married an alpha Hale, they tell me everything. You’re the first alpha not mated by twenty-one in sixty years. It’s a scandal!”

Before he knew it, Derek had his feet soaked, body waxed, face moisturized, haircut, nails manicured, and overall turned back into a proper American aristocratic prince.  The tailors took their measurements and Derek made them take those both commando and with underwear. He was an alpha and there were days when he needed freedom. Plus it flustered Isaac. Bonus!

“We’ll depart at 11:00pm tonight and arrive about 7:00am.” Jordan frowned at the tablet. “Talia says the apartment in Manhattan is ready for us to stay tomorrow night.”

Ignoring Jordan was an art form he’s developed over the years. He was done with being primped and pampered; it felt obscene after a while. He got up and forced a smile. “I’m done.”

“Yes, but can you maintain the look?” Isaac queried. “I must be off. Marshall will be done soon and I have to make sure the staff prepares his food correctly.”

Derek knew where the shower was; he wanted to get the feel of ‘hands’ off of him. Jordan followed so Derek kept talking “Knowing my mother…where are my dinner reservations for tonight?”

“Damien’s on the water. You’ll be hosting a party of six.” Jordan frowned. “It’s political; Lt Governor Hoynes, Sen. Whittemore, and Congresswoman Baccari will be attending. Those three…”

“It’s the Omega Rights legislation I imagine. Well at least it will be a good dinner and interesting conversation. I know Baccari has been pushing for even more expansion which I know my dear uncle opposes strenuously.” Derek moaned as the hot water started working on his muscles. He was bone tired from all the travel. “The tailors will deliver what I need before dinner I assume.”

“Wardrobe for tonight is here and everything else will be on the plane.”

* * *

 

Dinner was done and now Derek was in the plane heading towards his next adventure. He picked up his tablet and smiled as his sleepy best friend’s face showed up. “Boyd, how are you?”

“Awake, why are you calling? It’s the middle of the night…almost morning in Germany.” Boyd groaned as he blinked.

“I’m at home and heading to New York.” Derek turned serious for a second. “Why didn’t you tell me that your funding was being cut?”

“What could you do about it? All kinds of directives have come down in the last six to nine months. All research has to be justified with payoffs in a three year window. We’ve synthesized artificial bone and skin, but full limb replacement isn’t three years away.”

They chatted for a few more minutes and Derek let his friend go back to sleep. Everything he would need was available so Derek opened up his phone to take notes. Board Directives come up, shareholder resolutions, past board votes, unfilled executive positions, and emergency appointments all get reviewed. Through it all, Derek’s blood pressure rose significantly. Millions of dollars had moved around spreadsheets and the company was sitting on billions of dollars doing nothing.

“You’ve been scowling for two hours,” Jordan noted. “Get some rest. We’re three hours out and tomorrow will be a long day.”

“Fine.”

Derek frowned at the notes before he tried to grab some rest. Lots of things didn’t add up, but he’d get to the bottom of the whole thing.

* * *

 

“Okay, Stiles, why are we here before the crack of dawn?” Jackson huffed as he blocked another kick. “And your form is off. What gives?”

Stiles Stilinski frowned at his workout partner. “No one will spar with me since I’m a ‘weak’ omega. They’re afraid to bruise me or something.”

“I’ll do that for free,” responded the beta. “Seriously, what’s up?”

The lanky omega dropped to the ground and sighed. “More funding cuts are rumored. Jackson, we’re two years away from a working product that will cut energy consumption across the board. New solar panels that replace standard house windows, and a battery that will make the combustion engine look like a model train. All right there and they are going to kill it!” Stiles groaned. He went to MIT to make a difference and he was so close to making a huge one. But for some reason Hale R&D was being gutted. His project was even inside the three year guidelines and he was on the chopping block.

Jackson Whittemore plopped down next to his friend. “My grandmother thinks there is a major power struggle going on among the Hales. She doesn’t know the details, but she knows Peter Hale wants to be president and will do anything to get it.”

Just what Stiles needed, another power hungry politician telling him that omegas should only be at home and pregnant. Yeah, not happening.

“Did you get fired?” Jackson knew Stiles through his sometime girlfriend when they were at MIT together.

“No!” Stiles glared at Jackson. “I’d be reassigned first. They’ve cut R&D by forty percent and another round is coming that will be worse. I don’t get it.”

“Come on, let’s get you out of here before the ‘alpha brutes’ as you like to call them start arriving.”

“I can handle them,” Stiles complained. He hated being coddled. Since he was a kid he was taught to be his own person. His dad taught him self-defense from a very young age and now Stiles loved to spar. In California, omegas weren’t treated differently, for the most part. But out on the East Coast, Stiles found many more people liked ‘traditional’ omega values.

“Brooding again,” Jackson interrupted. “Let’s see if we can get Lydia to make plans with us this weekend. Surf and turf sounds fun!”

“She’ll need it. She hates when its Board time. She keeps telling me it’s beneath her to help those rich idiots make a decision.” Stiles grabbed his bag. “Might as well head to work and use the showers there. The water pressure is excellent.”

* * *

 

The plane landed and Derek finished getting dressed. Two hours of sleep was less than ideal, but it would have to do. Straightening his cufflinks, he smoothed down his vest and got his jacket ready.

“You look so much better than that raggedy thing I picked up yesterday,” joked Jordan.

Derek glared, it was ineffectual because he had on sunglasses, but he knew Jordan saw it anyway. “This is not going to be pleasant.” He smiled as he disembarked and a Hale officer was there to greet him.

“Mr. Hale, I’m Lydia Martin with Investor Services. If you’ll come with me we have a helicopter waiting to take you into the city.”

He nodded and followed. “Ms. Martin, what is the itinerary like?”

“You’ll sit in on the Audit Committee first, then Corporate Management, and then Science & Technology. The main meeting will follow.” She handled him a dossier. “Your credentials are in there for full access to the building.”

He flipped through a few pages and frowned. “Why is there so little on the S&T agenda?”

“It’s just a discussion of the latest cost cutting measures.”

Derek nodded and boarded the helicopter. He hated riding in them, but stayed quiet. It was a short trip across the river to the Hale International building. Never was he so happy to put his feet back on the ground. “Is there a place for me to read some of these until the first meeting?”

“Sir,” Lydia said. “You’ll be using Mrs. Hale’s office. She has the Vice-Chairman’s suite, but never uses it.”

Once he was settled, Derek pulled up his notes and started pulling everything together. The archives would help him sort out part of the mess. And there was the question of one Board member’s appointment without shareholder approval. He figured it was all connected. When he looked up Alan Symington he hit part of it. He was a major supporter of Peter’s presidential bid and a leader of the traditional omega movement. A few more searches yielded articles about how Hale didn’t listen to traditional voices. He knew exactly what was up now.

* * *

 

Derek remained largely silent through all three committee meetings. The main meeting started right after lunch, he watched how people greeted each other. There was a late Human Resource Policy proposal that he knew was coming from his uncle. His phone buzzed.

**‘Dinner confirmed. Vanguard, State Street, and Fidelity will be there.** ’

It hit him what his mother had done. Those were some of the largest institutional investors and held millions of shares of Hale stock for mutual funds. He glanced at his watch and smiled. The market would be closing in an hour. “My mother is a piece of work.”

“Pardon?” asked Lydia while she finished getting everything ready.

Derek ignored her question. “According to the bylaws I can propose items.” He looked at her and smiled at her nod. He walked from the room and waited for her to follow. “I need a motion to appoint a new Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer.”

“And the name on the motion?” She didn’t look up as she typed this into her phone.

“Derek James Hale.”

Lydia stopped and looked up. She was speechless. “Are you sure?”

Waving her off, he kept going. “Also a motion to restore all R&D funding in compliance with shareholder initiative 407 from 2013 for clean energy funding. Motion that all campaign donations exceeding $1000 be Board approved.” He smiled broadly at that. “Please bring those to me when they are ready. Don’t tell the Chairman, he may not have a job in an hour or so.”  

Lydia’s eyes widened. “Anything else?”

“Would you please get Erica Reyes from Risk Management up here and have Human Resources make her my new executive assistant. She’s exactly what I need. Also, I looked; why are you in Investor Services?”

She rolled her eyes. “Apparently I have the ability to distill much of this information into a format conducive to a lay person’s understanding.”

“Ah, well let’s see how this goes and then we’ll talk. You were hired for R&D and we should play to your strengths.”

He reentered the Board Room with a spring in his step. Derek walked around and introduced himself to several people who weren’t in the earlier committee meetings. Grabbing a plate from the buffet, he served a few items because he could not remember eating except at dinner the night before.

“Shall we begin?” Chairman Fowler announced. “Talia could not be here today so her son, Derek, comes bearing all her authority.”

Deciding not to say anything yet. Derek eyed Fowler and frowned. He was a compromise candidate from four years ago. He glanced down the table to the CEO, Jamie Arnold, and frowned again. There were stronger candidates for that post too, but his mother conceded to the institutional investors allowing their slate to get ratified and a new CEO appointed. She didn’t want it to seem like the Hales had to get their way and control the Board. There had been pressure for years to allow a greater diversity of voices on the Board. Derek suspected he knew where some of those calls originated.

Well he was armed with everything he needed to right the ship and deal with the mess all that ‘compromise’ was causing.

“Point of Order. Before we begin I am unware of why a certain person is present. Alan Symington was never approved by the shareholders. No proxies mailed and his appointed happened when the Hale seat on the Board wasn’t occupied. There is no supporting legal opinion stating the appointment is valid.” Derek smiled broadly as he leaned back in his chair. “Oh I saw an email that mentioned the General Counsel would review the matter and my mother’s question was never answered since she had to be absent when this took place. Mr. Chairman?”

The Board dropped into silence as they all looked around at each other.

“Motion to officially declare a seat on the Board of Hale International vacant.” Derek watched as one other member nodded. “Mr. Chairman?”

“All in favor?”

Half the hands went up. Derek smiled. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Symington. I regret to inform you that the Hale Family will not be supporting your appointment to this Board.” Derek didn’t even acknowledge him as he turned to the Board. “Now, let’s discuss the recent moves that defy shareholder resolutions shall we?”

* * *

 

Stiles looked at his phone and could not believe it. Lydia knew everything that happened on the C-Level, but this…this might be awesome. One of the TV’s on his floor showed Breaking News on CNBC:

_‘For the first time in forty years a Hale will be involved in the day to day operations of Hale International. They just issued a press release saying that Derek Hale, son of Vice Chairman Talia Hale, and grandson of Avery Hale, who served as Chairman and CEO from 1960 to 1975, will assume the role of Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer.’_

Stiles’ inbox beeped and there was a notice that there would be a department meeting at 8:00am. Coffee and breakfast to be provided. He wanted to call Lydia, but he heard voices down the hall.

“Yes, Erica, I need you to be my assistant. You tell Boyd all the time you hate Risk Management. Look, you have two qualities I need. One, you are organized. If there is ever a war I’m making sure you are in Logistics. Second, you know _everything_. You’re part of the gossip network and that holds the key to improving morale. Boyd said you’ve been part of that network since you got here. Fine, I’ll take you and Boyd to dinner this weekend. Listen, I’ll call you later.”

Stiles came out of the lab and saw Lydia walking with a super attractive man. He sniffed and groaned. “Oh course he’s an alpha,” he muttered under his breath. But he’d never liked alphas. Stiles preferred feeling like an equal with betas even though he was an omega.

“Stiles!”

He looked over and smiled at Lydia. “Hey, soooo what’s new?”

She rolled her eyes. “Stiles Stilinski, this is our new CTO, Derek Hale.”

Stiles reached out and shook the man’s hand. It was electric and looking into the kaleidoscope eyes was breath taking. “Nice to meet you.”

“Same.” Derek stepped back and smiled. “We’ll start with your clean energy group tomorrow after the breakfast meeting. Get everything ready, there is going to be a big push to get R&D running again.”

Lydia tapped Derek on the shoulder. “I’m sorry, you have a guest upstairs. He was supposed to return to Washington after his rally in Iowa.”

“If you will excuse me, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Stiles slumped against the wall after his friend and new boss walked away. “In no way am I attracted to an alpha. Nope, not a rich one and not one who is my boss.” He looked at the TV screens and groaned. CNBC was running all kinds of pictures of the Hale family and Derek’s picture was front and center. “Absolutely not, Stiles. I am so screwed.”

* * *

 

Derek walked away with the scent of omega filling his head. Never had an omega’s scent made him even the least interested. He shook it off and focused on the present. His uncle, the senator, was waiting.

Getting back to the executive floor, Derek frowned with Peter’s people all over the place. They acted like they owned the place. They were wrong. Derek walked right into his office. “Peter.”

“Ah, nephew, I’ve heard you’ve had a busy day. I mean you kicked out the only person who looked for a return to traditional values. How will it look as Hale International scorns what so many people believe?”

“Zip it,” Derek said. “I’m not a lackey or sycophant and I don’t answer to you. But I wonder if you know that you’ll not get another dime for your campaign from us.” He smiled broadly. “Yes, I saw the ten million in PAC money for your Senate seat and now the twenty million so far for the White House. You’re cut off.”

Peter Hale gave his nephew a withering glare. “You don’t know who you are messing with boy. Once I have the omegas back under control, we’ll see about taming all the alphas after that.”

Derek shrugged. “We’ll see, you forget I know where some of your skeletons are and things get leaked to the Press. And once the blood is in the water, it becomes a feeding frenzy.”

“This is the big leagues and you’re a child still figuring out how to use his oversized alpha cock.” Peter moved closer and got in Derek’s face. “Don’t test me. I always get what I want.”

“Except an alpha cock, a seat at the big boy’s table, and a large trust fund,” Derek mocked back. “There are always paper trails, Peter. Perhaps the US Attorney’s Office should be invited in.”

Peter pulled back and snarled, “I have my own backers, Derek. The family has enemies and I would hate to see what they would do to this company if it started to falter. Beware what you start.”

Watching his uncle storm out gave Derek some satisfaction. A warning alarm chimed on his phone. He had a power dinner with the people who would make sure Hale stock rose overnight. It was all about perception now. As he prepared to leave it hit him. “Son of a bitch!” Derek cursed his mother. “I have to find a mate and get married now. She planned this!”


	2. Chapter 2

Derek walked into his ‘new’ home and collapsed. Only long training kept him from toeing off his expensive shoes, that and the specter of his mother’s voice scolding him for doing so.

“You look tired,” Jordan said as he walked into the living room of the Manhattan apartment. “You’ll wrinkle that suit if you stay like that.”

As much as he wanted to yell, Derek knew that Jordan was right. Climbing back up, he stuck his tongue out at his friend. He was thankful when those arms steadied him before Derek fell on his face.

“How was your meeting?” Jordan helped Derek out of his clothes, something he’d done for years. They were friends, confidants, and he was Derek’s protector. He’d also been Derek’s teacher in some more intimate aspects that lasted until Derek was twenty. At that point Derek’s father told them that had to end. They missed that closeness, but duty was duty.

The shoulder rub was exactly what Derek needed; Jordan always knew when to do that and how Derek liked it. “It went very well. They are more than happy to have a Hale back in the company. Overnight trading will have us up three percent at open tomorrow.”

Jordan helped Derek finish undressing. “What do you want me to do?” The last thing Jordan wanted was to sit around all day.

“Start looking over files and looking into senior management personnel backgrounds. My dear Uncle Peter is up to something,” Derek paused for a moment. He picked up his tablet and waited for the app to connect. “Danny boy, what’s up?”

“Did you forget to tell your friends that you were back in the country and moving to New York?” the scowl on the handsome face of Danny Mahealani was out of place. “We might’ve wanted to know that! What is it Derek?”

“Fly out here tomorrow please, standard retainer billed to me, not Hale International.” He gave Danny a pointed look. “I need to find out who, if anyone, has been in the system.”

Danny was the head of a cyber-security company Derek helped fund and organize. They met at Stanford and Derek instantly liked Danny. His fellow alpha was smart and good natured. Derek sunk his personal funds into the project and eventually brought in other investors. He was the silent majority partner and not above begging Danny for his help. That was his ticket to his personal wealth before his mother threw him to the wolves.  

“If I didn’t owe you my first, second, and third born I’d tell you no. But since you need me,” Danny groused. A slow smile crossed his face. “You got played didn’t you?” Danny was a frequent guest at the Hale residence in San Francisco and knew many of the ‘Fourthers’ well. They considered him part of the family and that was something Danny’s family extended to Derek as well.

“Whatever gave you that idea?” Derek tried to play coy, but they’d known each other for almost a decade. “Yes, my mother set a trap. Also, I have to get a true marriage by my next birthday.”

“Ouch, you don’t like omegas.” Danny started moving around. “I’ll see you tomorrow, but now I have to pack and get a flight. Don’t do anything until I get there. You’ve a head for money but you’re lousy at computers.”

* * *

 

The morning started with a workout and then Derek decided to change things up a bit. He pulled on some tight jeans, and button down shirt, and boots. Sleeves rolled up he knew he was casual for this meeting, but he needed to convey that things were going to be different. Dispatching Jordan to HR and then Security was a start. One thing was going to be clear from the beginning, Derek might be an EVP and CTO, but he was only going to answer to the Board and that meant he was only going to answer to his mother.

“That’s awfully casual,” Jordan said as he smirked. “But, you’re in charge now.”

The driver pulled into the garage of Hale International. Derek climbed out, placing his messenger bag over his shoulder and his coffee mug in hand. He smiled at the doorman, “What’s your name?”

“Liam, sir.” The short built beta said with a stutter.

“Thank you very much, Liam.” Derek smiled and kept walking. Erica’s tales of how dour the building was and the general attitude was something that he was going to address immediately. “Jordan, have the head of maintenance get with me this afternoon. I saw the energy usage here and I want to know why we haven’t changed to LED. There are tax incentives that expire next year.”

Jordan rolled his eyes. “Drink your coffee and go bother Erica.”

The executive elevator brought him to the lobby of the top three floors. The Vice chairman’s office was his mother’s. Derek knew he was filling in for the rest of the year, but her name was on it. There was an office suite waiting for him. And so was Jamie Arnold, the CEO. “Good morning, Jamie.”

“That is very casual, Mr. Hale, are you…” he motioned to the younger’s outfit.

“I am meeting with R&D onsite and then touring the building.” Derek gave the CEO a broad smile. “Since it is summer we are going to go business casual at all our sites domestically.” The scowl on Arnold’s face was priceless. “From what I hear morale is at an all-time low. That is something that will be rectified by the end of the quarter.”

The CEO smiled and motioned for Derek to go into his new office. He closed the door behind him. “Listen to me, you are not in charge here. You’re merely a child parading around with your mother’s blessing. This is my company.”

Taking a seat behind his desk Derek propped his feet up and took a sip off his coffee. “The problem with people who are stupid is that they don’t know when they’re out of their depth. You and Fowler should be fired, but I told some of our institutional investors last night that I’d give them a heads up if any changes needed to be made.” He took another sip. “By the way, don’t question me in front of anyone ever again.” He stood up and flexed ever so slightly. Alpha dominance was a hard thing to control sometimes and expressed itself in subtle gestures. He was doing so to a beta that needed putting in his place.

“I am CEO and answer to the Board of Directors,” Jamie spat. “You can’t come barging in here thinking you run the place.”

The door opened and Erica walked in. “Mr. Hale, the caterers have everything ready and the R&D staff are heading down now. The video feeds to our other R&D sites are live.”

“Great! Thanks, Erica.” He walked by Arnold and clapped him on the shoulder. “Of the two of us, whose name is on the building? Whose grandfather ran it? And whose great-great- grandfather built it? Just asking.”

Erica gave Derek a once over. “What are you wearing?”

“Part of a new policy of a relaxed dress code. Get with a florist or plant shop and get more flowers and plants in all the foyers. This place is depressing.” He paused for a moment. “Also I want to see the vacation policy. We might need to look at our benefits package and expand them a bit.”

Derek was about to leave when he turned back to Erica. “Would you call that Asian place you love and arrange for a catered lunch? Invite all the executives and order enough for you and the rest of the assistants.” He winked at her. “Thanks, Erica.”

“Why?” she pulled out her phone to get it set up, but a frown colored her face.

“I want to see how they deal with each other. Are they all predators seeking to kill the others or are they congenial? Lunch is a great way to see that sometimes.”

* * *

 

Stiles was shocked when Lydia came up to him before the meeting. “Hello, my dear.”

“Okay, I’m a bit jaded, but Stiles, wait until you see the spread he ordered for this meeting. He went all out.” She paused for a moment before whispering in his ear, “He is about to make some major changes.”

That made Stiles pause because Lydia was never impressed by anything. “Real food, not that continental shit that motels sell you as breakfast across the country?” The other things she said went right by him with the mention of real food.

Lydia frowned and rolled her eyes. “Wait until you see it. And once your lazy ass is full you can think about what I just said!”

Walking down the hall and down the escalators, Stiles was floored when he saw several buffet tables full of food. The R&D staff wasn’t that big onsite, but this would feed all well. “Fresh fruit, bacon! Are those eggs? I think I see gravy!” Stiles tried not be a pig, but there were three types of sausage and some taquitos. “Salsa! I think I’m in love!”

There was a general buzz in the air as everyone filed into the main auditorium. Real food and premium coffee weren’t the norm for any meeting. Stiles’ mouth dropped open when he saw Mr. Hale walk on stage. There was no tie, and the jeans were tight. “He’s violating dress code,” he whispered to Lydia.

“I can see that!” She did a double take. “Alphas really shouldn’t wear things that tight. Not that I’m going to complain!”

For Stiles it was a moment of revelation. He’d never been one to think about alpha ‘attributes’ but now he was. Derek Hale was a very good looking man and Stiles forced his mind back to the donut in his hand. Because down the other path was a visit to the Men’s room and he really didn’t want to run in there to take care of _that_ business. He had some self-control.

“Good morning, I’m Derek Hale and I want to thank you for joining me this morning. While I am the Chief Technology Officer, I am not a designer, researcher, or programmer. I went to Stanford,” there were a small chorus of ‘Boos’ that made him laugh. “All you Cal grads here remember who has the Axe and keeps winning the PAC XII title.” He smiled again. “But one thing I learned there was an understanding of how research works. How ideas percolate and propagate. So the first thing I want to announce is that all funding cuts over the last two years have been reversed.

“The future of the company is based here, and in Austin, Chicago, and San Jose. The things you are working will be making money for us in five, ten, twenty years down the line. To cut off that funding line it reduce our future.

“I’ve already been told by our CEO that I’m out of dress code. Well codes can change and they will effective as soon as I make HR write a better dress code.” Derek took a sip of his water. “My grandfather would be sorely disappointed in this company’s recent actions. This is an inclusive organization. And I want everyone to know that all political contributions that had been earmarked have been cancelled. We are officially neutral on both nominations.”

Stiles leaned over to Lydia and whispered, “Wow. I thought they’d want a Hale in the White House.”

She shook her head. “Wrong Hale.”

“We are going to launch several initiatives over the next quarter to make you feel like you are involved in the company. You aren’t cogs in the wheel, but the engine that makes the company run. Now, we are going to have a lottery. The Yankees are in town this weekend and we have one of those nice corporate suites. R&D will get the sixteen seats on Friday. So random names will be drawn and employees chosen will get to see the game and have a fun time on Hale International. I’ll be doing these every Friday for the rest of year.”

“Is he serious?” Stiles whispered to Lydia.

“I think he is. One of the first things he wanted to do was improve morale.” She stared at the stage for a few seconds.

“He keeps this up and I would totally be all happy omega for him.”

* * *

 

The breakfast gathering made Derek feel good. He had a little over an hour in his office to get things started. Jordan’s text that Danny was in the building made Derek happy. They were setting him up far from Derek. While he wouldn’t go so far as to say this was Top Secret, it was Top Secret.

Erica poked her head into his office. “Energy in five.”

That got Derek moving. There were several projects that had him excited and this group held a few of those.

* * *

 

Stiles watched as Derek came over to his lab. This wasn’t supposed to happen. It never happened. He hated reading about all the stories of when omegas got all bothered by alphas and their brains went to mush. Stiles prided himself on his mushless brain.

“Stiles, right?” asked Derek as he offered his hand.

“Yes, sir, Mr. Hale.” Ugh Stiles wanted kick is own ass for sounding stupid.

Derek smiled, but shook his head. “No, it’s Derek. I know too many Misters Hale as it is. Now, explain this to me as if I didn’t graduate Magna Cum Laude from Stanford.”

“Is that it? I was Summa at MIT.” Stiles slapped a hand over his mouth. “Sorry.”

Laughing, Derek waved him off. “That is perfectly alright. I’d be proud of that too. Now,” he motioned around the room, “explain.”

“Well, you see all the windows in single family dwellings will be transformed into power sources and the new batteries will store up to thirty days power supply…”

* * *

 

Derek walked into the Board Room after his meeting with the Clean Energy Group. Several of the execs came in as well. He spotted Walter Elias, EVP and Chief Financial Officer, as well as Erin Soong, SVP and General Counsel. The head of Consumer Finance, Karen Humboldt, strolled in with the Chief Operating Officer and EVP, Carson Palmer, and the head of Global Marketing, Max Greenspan. He knew Lisa Andrews, SVP Human Resources, was on her way.

“Since this is officially my first day, I’m Derek.” He waved at everyone and motioned at the Asian food buffet he arranged. Several of them started serving and chatting. He smiled as he poured a Coke Zero when HR came up next to him.

“Quite the presentation you put on. There is a buzz in the air including how you are dressed.” She gave him a smile and a wink.

“Which is why we are rewriting dress code. I helped create a little company out on the West Coast that has high morale and low turnover. We think part of that is a less restrictive dress code.” He smiled at her again. Lisa Andrews was one of the executives he knew Hale was lucky to have. He raised the volume of his voice to carry, “How many times do you meet as senior staff?”

Palmer set his plate down and appeared to think about it. “Formally, once a quarter, but we talk informally all the time.”

Nodding, Derek walked over and filed his plate. His love of Thai Basil Rice knew no bounds and hadn’t had any while in Europe. He added two other dishes and some spring rolls. “If, we did this every other week, would you attend? I’ve always found it great to share ideas.”

Several of them looked at each other but appeared noncommittal.

Derek listened to conversations and many focused on earnings, projections, and budget proposals. As he listened he noted that only one person in the room was an alpha besides him and that was Erin Soong.

“So, _Derek_ , how long do you think you’ll be here?” asked Walter Elias. “You are a bit young for your post.”

Taking a bite out of his eggroll Derek pondered the question. “Well, I’ll be here today until six and then I have dinner scheduled with Kyle Winthrop.” He name dropped that on purpose. He realized quickly that his lack of experience was going to handicap him with lots of people on Wall Street and corporate board rooms. The connections he had personally, and his family had professionally, were going to help him swim rather than sink in the short term.

Several heads turned. Palmer cleared his throat, “He’s President of the New York Fed.”

Finishing his eggroll, Derek nodded. “He’s my sister’s godfather. And I’ll be making trips to Austin and Chicago soon, but I plan to be here a long time.” He let that hang in the air. A few of the people looked happy to hear that, but he noticed that the COO and CFO looked distraught at that statement. “It hit me how much this company means to my family. It bears my family’s name and it’s time one of us was involved again.”

“What are you discussing with Dr. Winthrop?” asked Elias.

“I played baseball with his son at Stanford. Jeff works with my cousin Marshall now.” He smiled widely again. “I was Best Man at Jeff’s wedding last fall.” Jeff was another friend he wished was an omega, but he was an alpha and they clicked too. But Jeff found the perfect omega and Derek was happy for his friend. Besides, he stopped that train of thought. The funny omega down in R&D would have to wait. But the man did smell _good_.

“Mr. Hale, since this seems like an open forum and you were so eloquent in your meeting with R&D this morning, what are your plans?” that came from Lisa Andrews.

“After the 2008 market crash and Great Recession we’ve returned to full profitability, but we’ve held back on increasing wages and benefits. That needs to change.” He looked at his phone. “Gotta run. Carson, why don’t you pick your favorite place in two weeks and we’ll do this again.” He was going to make them all stop acting so formally. He was ‘Derek’ now to everyone. Hale International needed a culture change.

* * *

 

Jordan pulled Derek out of his afternoon session and escorted him to a small conference room several floors away from the C-Suites. “Danny needs to tell you something.”

Sitting in the corner was Danny with two laptops going. Derek moved closer to his friend. “Yes?”

“You have major problems. There is some embezzlement going on to the tune of half a billion dollars that has been signed off on by Fowler and Arnold. It hasn’t left the company but its sitting there with extremely limited access.

“The real issue is you have more than six billion dollars that has been diverted to an account in a Zurich bank. It looks like it’s still on the books, but it’s not. And a few million leave each day through several automated entries. I’m trying to track down the code. You have short term debt payments due in sixty days. You aren’t going to have the funds to cover it even though you should.” Danny showed Derek the entries.

Derek sat back and groaned. “Can you stop the current transfers?” he pulled out his tablet and started searching for specific data. “How much will be diverted by that time?”

“Almost eleven billion dollars by that point,” Danny answered as he kept typing.

Hale International was a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and had been since 1907. A sudden announcement that Hale couldn’t meet its debt obligations would send its stock tumbling and with it the broader market. They were a rock solid company that helped build America. Its sterling reputation would be shattered in minutes. The family would survive, but all the Hale employees would suffer as would millions of people who held Hale stock for pensions and in retirement funds.

“Yes, I can make it think it’s moving money but it won’t be,” Danny said as he looked up. “But I can’t recover the money already sent there. We need passcodes for that and I have no clue who started this.”

The figures for the debt obligations were a cumulative six billion dollars. It was tight, but they could make the payment, if nothing else happened and they moved some money around. “Jordan, we need to know how this happened. Bring in who you need, but keep it quiet. Danny start documenting all this a preserve the evidence. I don’t want this blowing back in our faces.”

* * *

 

Stiles walked into Lydia’s office a few minutes before he left. “So…how’s it going?”

“What do you want? You never come see me at work unless you want something,” She gave him a look that dared him to contradict her. “I don’t want to talk about Jackson either.”

Getting in-between that mess was never in his best interest. He found that out the hard way years ago. “Actually, I…I think I like an alpha.”

“Stiles, you were panting when you met Derek yesterday and it was worse today. I almost thought of hosing you down.” She smiled to take the sting out of her comment.

“It wasn’t that bad.” Stiles couldn’t stop the heat from rushing to his face. He hated feeling embarrassed.

“Listen, I heard one of his uncle’s aides talking last night. Derek has to get married in less than a year or he could lose the company. It’s part of their family Trust. They were talking about how Peter knows Derek has never really been attracted to omegas.” She pulled Stiles closer. “Peter has been plotting with a few executives for years to take control of this company away from the alphas of his family. Most of those guys are the worst types of chauvinists.”

“How do you know this?” Stiles sat down and moved closer.

“Please, some of them leave all kinds of information on their desks. I also help with all the board information. And Edna, they lady I replaced, she did this for years and worked for Avery Hale’s assistant before _she_ left. I have all kinds of dirt going back years. Peter always resented Avery and the alpha Hales.

“I think Derek coming here though has been a shock; they didn’t expect it.” She shrugged and sighed. “I don’t know how they are doing it, but I know that a few have been doing it. But I know that Peter Hale getting control here would be bad for lots of reasons.”

“How has Talia…” he stopped when Lydia raised her hand.

“She’s not around much and is more interested in other Hale family holdings. Their Real Estate Empire is pretty big. She lived in Avery’s shadow so she’s made her mark in other areas. Plus, she never wanted to run HI. From what I heard, there was lots of pressure a few years ago to bring in outsiders to the C-Suite. Lots of people feared that Hale was stagnating.

“But profits and earnings are down compared to then, but dividends are up.” She gave Stiles a pointed look.

A lightbulb went off for Stiles, “All the budget cuts and other changes freed up money instead of making money.”

“Exactly. And Derek is ending that gravy train with his actions.” Unlocking a drawer in her desk, she pulled out a file and handed it to him. “Take that to Erica Reyes, his assistant.” She made him meet her eyes. “Don’t dawdle.”

“Erica Reyes, we’ve been coffee buddies for years. Wait she’s in Risk Management.” They started about the same time and found that the Starbucks across the street was perfect for afternoon respites. They didn’t get to hang out as much, but Stiles knew that Erica always knew the gossip.

“Nope, he requested her yesterday for two skill sets, organization and gossip central. And you are part of her network.” Lydia side-eyed him. “I admire him for using those traits alone. Go.”

He didn’t open the file but carried it up to the C-Suite. It was a boring elevator ride, but he was okay with getting home later than normal. It was early evening on a Wednesday and it was pretty dead. He waved when he saw Erica. “Hi, doll!”

Erica gave him a hug and then bonked him on the head. “You’ve missed our last two coffee dates. As you can see I’ve been moved up here!”

“Yes, slumming with the suits,” came a response from inside the office. “I feel so sorry for you!”

“Shut up and go back to working on whatever new thing you’re doing that will make everyone else on this floor hate you,” she yelled back. “What brings you here?”

Stiles handed over the folder. “Lydia sent this up.”

Erica opened it and almost dropped it. She rushed it into Derek’s office. She went back out and pulled Stiles in as well and closed the door.

Looking up, Derek was startled and then smiled. “Stiles, right? I can’t wait for your next update on the Clean Energy project.”

Erica thrust the folder at Derek. He opened it. “ _This is Stiles an omega that hates being treated that way. Your uncle is betting you never find an omega to marry since you like betas mainly. He wants you out of the way._

“ _His pals Fowler and Arnold have been manipulating accounts with Elias’ and Palmer’s help_.”

Derek looked over a few reports. They confirmed what Danny found but from another angle. He motioned for Stiles and Erica to sit. “Seems this Lydia is even smarter than I thought. One, Erica you know nothing about this. Don’t say a word. Two, Stiles, do you like sushi?”

“Who doesn’t?”

Derek pointed to Erica who was making gagging sounds. “This is going to sound bad, but…looks like you are the best choice in a bad situation.” He gave Stiles a smile. “I have two months to save my company and at the same time see if we can get married with a mating bite within ten months.”

“Claimed?” Stiles sputtered. “But…I mean…look at you, who wouldn’t climb you like Everest, but…claimed?”

“My choices are limited and I have a narrow time frame. So dinner? I need candidates and you are the first one up to bat.” He smiled again. “I found this out two days ago, so I’m still processing.”

“Zero to one hundred in two seconds,” Stiles muttered.

“You are having dinner with Dr. Winthrop tonight, remember?” Erica stated flatly.

“Old family friend and showing up with a cute omega would get back to my family faster than any other way.” Derek stood up. “Stiles, this is a limited time offer. Lots of things are moving around me and your pal Lydia seems to be on board. You game?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dating a public figure is complex. Who knew?

Derek opened the door and led Stiles inside. “Kitchen is up on the left and looks right into the living room. It has a great view of the city. I have to use the facilities.”

“And who said they could hold their sake?” Stiles hiccupped.

“It wasn’t you and thank goodness you haven’t barfed all over the place.” Derek walked away and into Jordan. “Hi.”

“You brought home the omega?” his friend’s eyes widened. “Derek, there are so many things happening right now. Are you sure you want to bring in this complication?”

“I have a limited amount of time to get several things going. He’s funny and smart. He’s also not bad to look at. We aren’t going to do anything, I promise.”

Jordan frowned and then nodded. “Be sure you are doing this for the right reasons, Derek. All of it!” Jordan turned and went back to his room.

Derek made his way back to Stiles and smiled. “Your keys please? I’m going to have Jordan run to your apartment and get a change of clothes. Anything else you need?”

Mouth dropping open, Stiles stared for a moment. “Why?”

“You can ride into work with me and we can hangout, like I promised, nothing that could be construed as worse than PG.” Derek smiled again. He took the keys. “Anything you need?”

“Laptop, tomorrow’s clothes are hanging in the bathroom, and my toothbrush.” Stiles blinked a few times. “You move fast.”

Derek smiled again and nodded. “I have to get many things moving at once. And this will not move that fast. I need to know if you snore.” He walked away and chuckled as he heard Stiles indignant squawk. 

“Keep it up and I’ll see about a guest room!”

* * *

 

Derek disentangled himself from the bedsheets. Stiles had the comforter all to himself like he was cocooned in blankets. The alarm clock showed it was still early, but Derek knew he was awake and not likely to fall back asleep. Touching his lips, he knew they were still slightly kiss swollen. Nothing progressed further than that.

Routine was important for him so he walked to the home gym and started his jog. He preferred the outdoors for this, but he was in New York and really didn’t like running on concrete for extended periods of time.

“Your neck looks like it got mauled,” grumped Jordan. “Tell me you aren’t using him.”

“I’m not using him,” Derek said as he stepped off the treadmill. “All of this is important and I’m trying to multitask.”

Jordan’s eyes narrowed. “How very Avery of you.” He turned and left the room before saying anything else.

Derek watched his friend leave the room. He took a deep breath before heading to the shower. The news from Asia and early European trading had Hale stock opening up again. He tried not to let the sting of the insult linger. He wasn’t sure he was successful.  

* * *

 

“While I am happy that you’ve stepped up,” his mother said. “I would hope you would call me before sites like TMZ report that you are getting married!”

Perhaps kissing Stiles while waiting for his car was a bit – public. On the other hand, it was a clear sign to some people that he was involved. “I can’t help what gossip sites report, mother. And before you fly out here to ‘inspect’ him, we are at the very beginning of this…relationship.”

“You think so little of me that I would go to New York to meet him at this stage,” she paused and laughed. “Expect Laura, Carlos, and the twins next week. Good bye dear!”

He stared at his phone for a moment. Things just kept getting better and better. “Jordan, we have guests coming next week!”

“Let me guess, your mother.”

“Worse, Laura and her family.”

Jordan braced his hands on the counter. “At least the twins are cute, but Carlos is a menace. He wasn’t that great an athlete…”

Holding up his hands, Derek nodded. “We know, but Laura loves him and we can put up with his regaling us with his glorious times on the grid iron.” He pulled on his tie and finished getting ready. “Open up the other half of the penthouse. At least we can get some space between us.” He paused and looked his best friend in the eye. “If I start to look like I’m becoming Avery, tell my mother.”

At that, Jordan’s eyes went wide. Avery Hale was Talia’s father and a deep source of family contention through the years. That Derek was even saying this… “You’re too good of a person to let it get to that.”

“Still, if it does…”

* * *

 

“What do I tell people that ask me about you, us, whatever?” asked Stiles as they rode in the car together.

Derek shrugged. “Tell them we went to dinner together and then I kissed you. Play it up, but don’t lie. Those boomerang faster than light.”

They pulled up and Derek smiled. “Good morning, Liam.” As they walked in Stiles headed to a different bank of elevators. The organized chaos that was his workstation was currently inhabited by Lydia. “Um…why are you here?”

“Derek Hale dating is a huge headline across the gossip rags. Including a picture of him kissing your cheek. Why didn’t you text me immediately?” While there was some humor in her voice there was also determination in her eyes.

Suddenly Stiles wondered if this is how raw metal felt sitting on an anvil waiting for the hammer to fall. “Well, I stayed with him last night.”

Her mouth fell open and then she snapped it shut. “You didn’t!”

“NOT like THAT!” he looked around and blushed. “We might have gotten started, but next thing I know we’re talking and laughing and…”

Lydia stared at Stiles for a long time before laughing. She pulled him into a hug. “You’re making friends with him first! Okay, I know I thought it might work, but this makes things very probable.”

“Yeah, but everything is going to be out in public!” Stiles ran his fingers through his still wet hair. “I…I would like to get to know him, but this is going to affect everything in my life.”

“Call your dad and let him know. He worries about you being an omega in New York already, but if you are dating an alpha…”

Stiles groaned and checked the time. He hoped his dad was still asleep otherwise he’d get a call any second. “I’ll call when he gets up.”

* * *

 

Erica glared at Derek as he walked in. “Your phone has been going crazy! The Times, The Post, The Washington Post, The Journal, USA TODAY!!! Wants a comment!” She punched him in the shoulder. “I haven’t had my second cup of coffee yet!”

He simply shrugged and walked into his office. His phone light was blinking so he punched in his code to get his voicemail:

‘ _Mr. Hale, this is Chris Argent, head of security, we need to discuss one Jordan Parrish’s access. Please contact me at your earliest convenience._ ’

“He’s called four times and I finally told him to leave a message,” Erica complained from the door. “Do you want coffee while I’m up? We talked about this so don’t expect me to get you coffee all the time!”

“If you are offering then yes,’ Derek said gently. “And I’ll call Mr. Argent back in a moment.” 

Pulling out his tablet he found the contact he needed. This was not a call he wanted to make. “Candy!” Derek said with all the false charm he could muster.

“Ugh, what do you want? Wait, don’t answer that because the answer is no!” Candice Hale was the daughter of Lawrence Hale and from the wing of the family that controlled their shares of JP Morgan Chase. “What?”

“I need you call Gordon and take a seat on the Morgan Board.” Derek cringed waiting for a response.

“Oh, of course, it’s I need something from you, not ‘How are the kids Candy?’ Laura talks to me all the time. In fact, we had lunch on Saturday. I thought you were out having fun in Europe?” She frowned and then laughed. “Aunt Talia of course.”

Derek stared at the screen while his cousin cackled. “Are you done?”

“Look, being on the Morgan Board was something my grandfather lived for! Like your grandfather lived for H I. Our parents did other things because they saw our grandparents consumed by their jobs.” She paused for a moment. “Don’t become Avery, Derek. No one wants or needs that.”

Derek sat back and nodded. Avery Hale had been an alpha’s alpha. Derek knew that as much as his grandfather loved his mother, he’d been disappointed that none of his sons were born alphas. As a result, he pushed his mother to achieve greatness and treated his sons like they were useless. Peter’s ambition was a direct result of Avery’s actions.

“I know Uncle Lawrence is too busy being a physicist to be bothered with modern capitalism.” He needed help in New York and Candy was his best hope. Marshall wanted to rule Hollywood and Kyle liked his trains too much to be bothered as well.

“Daddy, in New York?” She started howling with laughter again. “Listen, I’ll come out to New York next week. Laura texted me saying she’ll be there this weekend.” Candy leered at him. “I saw the pictures of that omega. It’s about time. Aunt Talia has been beside herself worrying about you ever settling down. She turns sixty next year and would like to attend her alpha son’s wedding!”

It was pointless to argue. Derek knew from past experience. Candice Hale loved his mother and was like a sister to his sister, Laura. He avoided family gatherings at all costs for this very reason. “We’ll see how this goes. I have to run Candy!” he tried to disconnect before she could respond.

“Wait!” She looked right at the camera. “I’ll do this for sure if you promise me that we’ll somehow rat fuck Peter! His own daughter is an omega!”

Peter was an issue for sure, but getting his family to take on Peter might be useful. “That is a promise I can make. There are three omegas in the family! I’ll see you soon.”

“I like her,” Erica said from the door. “Argent is demanding to talk to you about your shadow.”

Derek rolled his eyes. “My sister is coming to town this weekend. Please make reservations at DeMarco’s for Saturday. Get the private room and chef’s choice. You know Stiles, what’s his favorite food.”

“First, DeMarco’s is going to laugh at me for calling.” One look from Derek and she sighed. Money and power spoke in volumes. “Stiles is a stress eater and thus works out with a beta named Jackson Whitmore every morning.”

“Whitmore? Related to the Senator?” A nod had Derek smiling. “Tell DeMarco’s full seating. You and Boyd will join me as will Stiles’ friend.”

“That friend is the on-again-off-again with Lydia.” Erica loved being gossip central.

“Invite her too. If Candy is here by then she and her husband can come. I’ll need a sitter for all the kids at the penthouse. Jordan tried once and it was a disaster. My father doesn’t speak of it.”

“At least your shadow is hot as fuck. Ever ride that?” Erica didn’t care about tact either.

“A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell.”

“That’s a resounding yes.”

* * *

 

“Hey Dad,” Stiles muttered as he pulled the phone away from his ear in case his father let loose.

“Stiles, my dearest son, is there something I need to know? I think you might need to explain a few things since there are television crews all over town.”

“Oh Jeez,” Stiles took a deep breath. “I might be dating an alpha Hale.”

“Is that it?” came the sarcastic reply. “Think your old man might have wanted a heads up? Maybe?”

“It just happened?” Stiles knew that was lame even to his own ears.

“Do I need to fly out and have a talk to this Derek Hale. And let me say I can see the attraction, I don’t like the idea of this alpha getting his hands all over you!”

“I’m not a virgin, dad!” Stiles hated that his voice cracked a bit.

“You are with alphas!”

And that was checkmate. Didn’t want one and never tried one. But now there was sex personified in tight jeans running around in his head.

“Not now, dad. Look, I’ll try to keep you more informed. I gotta go.”

* * *

 

Derek walked into the Security office and frowned. The whole building needed a makeover, but this area was simply drab.

“So you’re the new Hale here,” said a scruffy looking man with lots of white hair covering his leathery face. The dark tan spoke of lots of time in the sun.

“Derek Hale, and you’re Chris Argent?” he offered his hand and shook the head of Security’s

“You’re new here and all that but you can’t have anyone you want walking around without a pass that gives them authorization. Your name may be on the building, but you don’t own it.”

Taking a deep breath, Derek smiled at the beta and nodded slightly. “Well, Jordan Parrish needs an all access pass as he is my personal assistant and valet. And I need two guest passes for people who work for me.”

“That isn’t how this works!” Argent frowned as he handed over a pass. “That’s Parrish’s, but the guest passes can only be obtained at the security desk in the Lobby!”

Not wanting to get into an unnecessary pissing contest, he smiled and took the badge. “Thank you.”

* * *

 

Stiles watched as Derek approached him. “Hi?”

“Stiles, can stay the night again?” Derek leaned over and kissed him. “I rather liked the company and getting to know you. Mom made us take a few self-improvement classes. While I can’t cook much, I can make a mean shrimp scampi and open a good bottle of wine.”

“Just us?” Stiles was torn between saying instantly and fighting his instincts. One of the wealthiest single alphas on the planet was wooing him. At this rate he’d be spreading his legs by midnight.

“My friend Danny is in town and Jordan always eats with me when he’s around. He’s my closest friend.” Derek kissed Stiles again. “Consider it a way for you to get all kinds of dirt on me.”

That was the issue that really blew Stiles’ mind. Derek was completely upfront about needing to get married. Again, Stiles’ omega instincts wanted to climb this alpha and claim him back. “Won’t that make people talk? My dad was bombarded with questions back home.” That was an understatement.

“I’m sorry about that. My sister is coming to town this weekend to do the ‘inspection’ for my mother. This is all happening very fast. If you want out then please let me know because the attention is only going to get worse.” Derek moved into the cubicle and leaned against the filing cabinet.

“You need to know just how powerful we are and why it will get worse. There are four lines of the family. The first and second generation built Hale International and that second generation used the money to invest in lots of sectors. The third generation built those out into a vast fortune that the fourth generation controlled and is now handing over to my generation, the fifth.

“It’s actually gross how much money we have and some, like Peter, are trying to use it for other purposes.” Derek pinched the bridge of his nose while taking a deep breath. “The attention will get worse. I have to be clear.”

Stiles looked over at Derek and bit the inside of his cheek to keep his face neutral. This was ‘Prince Charming’ in the flesh and worse, Stiles wanted to ride him for days. That never happened with alphas – ever. “I’ll be there tonight and this weekend and…okay, if we get mated, just say, am I going to be a house omega because…”

Derek raised hand to signal Stiles to stop. “Under no circumstances will you ever be required to be a house omega. My cousin Marshall claims to have one in Isaac, but everyone in the family knows that Isaac is the boss there. Another reason that Peter needs to be stopped.”

“Okay, you may be the boss, but I still need to get work done.”

* * *

 

Danny came up the service elevator and handed Derek some files. “We traced the hack to Washington. The condo is leased to one Kate Argent and according to some not so legally obtained phone records, she and your uncle are very well acquainted.”

“Any relation to Chris Argent?”

“She is his younger sister. Peter paid for that condo. Looks like out of some private funds, not company.” Danny looked around and frowned. “I pulled some of her phone records and such. She’s been talking to a few venture capital firms. And her Internet cookies show multiple sessions to Credit Suisse and IBS. I could not get her passwords though.”

Derek motioned for Jordan. “We need to find out if Chris let his sister into the network. I don’t want innocent people caught up in this. We also need to know who is involved.”

Looking over the papers, Jordan frowned and then pulled Derek into another room. “I need to know that you are doing this for the right reasons. I get the global economy angle, but why are you bringing Candy out here? Avery was a snake! A venomous viper if there ever was one. Peter is his creation. But you look like you’re trying to play in his shoes. Candy at Morgan? You’ve been stockpiling shares to crown Marshall the King of the Mouse House! What’s next a Hale at Treasury like Bill Junior was when Avery was here?”

“Jordan, I need Candy as an ally in one of our strongest holdings. Marshall will sit on Disney in a few years. I told you earlier I don’t want to become my grandfather, but right now if I have to channel him to stop Peter and keep the company alive then I will.”

Jordan raised his hands in surrender. “Fine. I know you talked to Stiles. He texted me what he needs for a few days. I’ll head there after lunch. Be careful!”

* * *

 

Derek sat down in the afternoon and went over all kinds of files. But a secured message on his private computer, not HI networked, caught his attention. He smiled as he looked at the bank records. The traces of billions of dollars to other accounts that weren’t authorized corporate accounts. Illegal transfers that meant embezzlement.

A knock on the door grabbed his attention. “Yes, Erica?”

“The files from Human Resources you wanted to see.”

Stacks of paper were wheeled into his office and he groaned. He wanted to review performance evaluations in his department to make sure they’d been treated fairly in the absence of an actual Chief Technology Officer.

“Your own fault, boss!”

He’s elbow deep in the files when Jordan and Danny walk in. “We’ve some news.”

Danny plopped down and smiled broadly. “The Argent here didn’t do anything, but there was authorization from this level. It confirms the highest level knew.”

“We found some emails to Peter Hale too. There was coordination, but these are inconclusive. I have a contact at the FBI. They need to see what Kate Argent has and how closely she is working with Peter Hale.”

* * *

 

The penthouse was nice and quiet as Derek walked in with Jordan, Stiles, and Danny. “Let me get changed and I’ll start on dinner.’

Stiles followed Derek and saw two bags on the bed and instantly knew they were full of his clothes. There was available closet space as well as drawer space. “Man, feel like I’m moving in already.”

Wrapping his arms around Stiles, Derek placed a kiss on the omega’s cheek. “Nope, even if we bond and marry, I’ll insist that you keep your own place. You never have to use it, but there is a place that is yours if you need it.”

Something relaxed in Stiles just a fraction, but it was enough to allow him to take a deep breath. He turned and kissed Derek deeply. Just being near him made Stiles lose his mind. He knew this was the right man for him, but he wasn’t just going to surrender to Derek. He wanted Derek to show how much he wanted Stiles. Saying the right things and doing the right things were two different things.

A knock on the door interrupted the moment. Derek pulled back. “Yeah.”

Jordan peaked around the door. “Looks like Kate Argent skipped the country. My friend at the Bureau says they found out she paid by cash this morning. They think she got tipped.”

“How?”

“That is the question.”  

**Author's Note:**

> Hale International is based on General Electric and the Hale family modeled after the Rockefellers. 
> 
> This idea hit and I ran with it even though I shouldn't.


End file.
